It was such a pleasure to see Jay driving my father-in-law’s wonderful car down the road. It was a pleasure selling this gem to him. Jay is such a fine man and a true car enthusiast. My “dad” would be so happy to see his precious car being driven down the road in this video. Thank you Jay, we know you will take great care of it.
I'm glad he got it from you too, such a rare example with all of the options, and especially in that color! these are a friend on mine's favorite car, and thus, although his convertible is gone, we have a few of it's parts cars sitting behind the shop.
Who else feels like they hung out with Grandpa Leno for half an hour like you might have if you were 12 years old and it was his day off....? This was fun. 👍
Nice! I actually had days like that with MY Grandpa in the 70s. He had Cadillacs and an Ambassador and whatever that amphibious car was. His Cadillacs were full of machine shop crap, like a work truck.
My grandpa had a great big ol' Packard. When I was little I'd stand up in the back floorboard and he'd drive down this street that had several others on the right that intersected from uphill. The car would roll like a big land yacht over those streets, and I'd scream "ocean waves!!!"
Jay's correct about the glorious car colors and design styles back in the 50s. In any given era, cars reflect the mood of the country at that specific time. In the mid to late 50s, America was still elated and united from winning WWII. Everyone wanted cars that looked happy and futuristic to the point of giddiness. Fast-forward to the present - most cars on the road are dark, brooding, somber, and joyless because they're the colors of today. When was the last time car companies offered gorgeous, pastel or ice cream colors? How about 2-tone or 3-tone exteriors and/or interiors? Exactly.
I feel another factor is the car's transition from being a leisure product to an appliance. For instance: notice how many color options there are for the new iPhone. Also, notice how often you see a blue or red refrigerator now.
Reading into things a bit much there. Cars have been toning down for decades. There was a lot of beige stuff for a long time, and dark green for a while. Cars lost individuality as engineering converged their designs. It has nothing to do with the "mood."
To be fair, Porsche still offers the best colors, even their "drab" colors look great, like Sepia Brown or Black Olive, but again to your "fun" colors, Viola Metallic, Ultraviolet, Ruby Star, Viola Purple Metallic (yes, two different ones, two completely different looks), Ipanema Blue Metallic, Gulf Blue, Acid Green, Peridot Metallic, Mint Green, Ivory, Cream White, Carrera White, Nordic Gold Metallic, Gulf Orange, Pastel Orange, Lava Orange, and even Chalk/Crayon.... and those are typically just 911 colors, there's other fantastic options for their other models, nobody has the "base" color options as Porsche (base meaning available, including PTS), second would probably be Lamborghini.
There’s just something wonderful about watching Jay drive around in an old car, arm out the window, casually chatting about a car he loves for a half hour. It really helps keep your mind off of other things, these days.
WorldsOldestMillennial absolutely, I've been rewatching a lot of his older videos as well to pass the time and take my mind off what's going on outside now, I'm in the Netherlands and it's gotten quite weird, 400€ fine if you stand too close to someone.
I'm 35 and have always loved them! Especially the 70's cars. It really saddens me that just about the time I graduated from college and had enough money to buy a nice new car they were pretty much all gone. I had a 2005 Buick Park Avenue I bought in '08 with 16K on it that I loved that represented that last of the breed pretty well (I know it was front wheel drive and V6 powered) but it floated down the road, had a decent size, and the style hearkened back to the 50s, 60s, and 70s. I test drove a new Town Car back in 2010 but it just didn't ride as well as my Buick and was lacking a lot of options it had and just wasn't worth the $50K they were asking IMO. Now I have a brand new GMC Yukon, it's about as close as you can come in a modern vehicle. I have an '04 Century to since I love Buicks and it floats down the road almost as smoothly as my Park Avenues did. If they still made cars like this I would buy them! 8-10 mpg would be rough though!
I get why Jay is saying it's ugly but I think it's awesome! I love this old piece of Americana and I'm so glad it was saved. I can't get enough of these chrome covered 50s cars.
I agree, there is something about the angled headlights, and the styling that sets this car apart from any other. The high end of this model had Mother of Pearl inlay in the rear panel between the tail lights.
When I was in first grade our school principal had one of these. She would park it right in front of the school in a no parking zone to keep other cars away from it. A buddy and I were walking home after school and a rock was laying on the sidewalk. We started playing “kick the can” with the rock. One of my kicks was a little exuberant and the rock went right through her rear window! A teacher saw the whole incident and drug us to the principal’s office. For the next 2 years all I heard about was how expensive it was to replace a Continental rear window! Thank goodness I moved to another school when I was in third grade as I was forever etched in the principals’ mind as a troublemaker. Great episode Jay.
Whoever kick the rock should have been a place kicker in the NFL those window we're dammed near a 1/2 thick. I have a 1959 Thunderbird those are some real windows not like this mess we have today.
Typical Baby Boomer snottiness and condescension. Leno throws a lot of darts at the Greatest Generation - he ridicules their tastes in cars, their smoking, how they spent their money, etc. Well they did better than you, bub. You're a fat sloven dressed like a dustbowl Oakie, who doubtless smokes Pot and God knows what else, like everyone else in Califoreignia. And stop saying "back in the day." You talk like Old Jim in "Huck Finn."
It seems like no matter what car Jay is showing it becomes my new favorite. This on the other hand is one of my favorites and it pains me to hear him call it ugly. From the 'French style' headlights to the massive and 'chromy' features and especially the roll down back window, I just love this thing. But then I am old.
Group6, This Lincoln is in my GOAT Top 10 list! My FAV car is a 1968 Shelby Mustang GT500 KR conv. There is a 1970 Dodge Challenger conv. on that list too. The 1966 Lincoln Continental conv. A 1965 Buick Riviera...
Jay is a stand up guy. Literally. Still working every day, and only have one real weakness; cars. Or rather 150+ cars. And he share it with us all - for free!!! How the hell can anyone dislike that???????
A great entertainer! I'd hate to pay his car insurance, even though it's a special policy and requires limited annual mileage. Maybe not! Jay could be self-insured. He's got the bucks.
Oh god I absolutely loved the thump of that engine. Oddly reminds of a Harley V twin exaust note.🍷Quite a speedy car too for a sporty two door!! 😎😆 And those diagonal dual head lights, i swear those look like they ought to be from an entire other planet probably. The headlight dimmer for real sounded like future tech for the star trek age devoloped well before its time. I cant think of another car that can do that even today. Lol cracked me up when Jay mentioned Battle ship galore!, so whats it gonna be - One fine Continental for him and one for her with a free garage space thrown in .. like would that be all you two?
My dad was a sales manager for a Lincoln-Mercury dealership. In 58 he was given one of these Mark's to drive at the new car showing. Every year thereafter we either had a Lincoln or a Mercury in the driveway. Great car and like you said Jay, that 430 cu in was a bulletproof engine!
He also has shown his engineering comprehension and fixed many a problem on the road, replaying the ritual the first owners went through at the time. He knows the little parts of the big picture and the reasons for those parts. History always involves culture and commerce effected culture more than ever after FDR. It was even called "Fordism", aka the Middle Class, or employees paid enough to buy the cars they made, and become a major part of the GDP as consumers creating demand and job growth (5.2% GDP '32-'81).
@@dthomas9230 "employees paid enough to buy the cars they made". I just read that about Henry Ford a few days ago! (March 2023). Another reason for me to be a Ford fan, and to buy Fords!
Measuring in at 6'5" tall, my grandfather bought a new Continental every two years from the late 50s through the early 80s. I used to sit between him and my grandmother (she brought along the tankard of hot coffee) -- with no seat-belt of course, who needs one of those anyway -- and look on in awe as he piloted those boats down the Mass Pike or up route 128 on the way to Maine. Thanks for the memories, Jay!
@@johncholmes643 That same grandmother had a saying about folks who did and said ugly things like this: "he must have a hard life." I hope things pick up for you.
I had one of these in a four-door in the early seventies. All my friends would pile in and we'd drive around San Francisco. They thought it was amazingly cool. We'd keep the windows up to keep all the smoke in.
Brake fade (28:10) - Around 1973 I was driving my little 1963 Triumph Herald from Manchester to Barrow (North of England). Around 100 miles. And being England the rain bucketed down the whole way. Back then we learned to drive using the gears to slow down, so rarely using the brakes. I was approaching my parent's house and had to brake for a stop sign. And there were no brakes! All drum brakes and the drums were full of water. And I realized I hadn't used the brakes, AT ALL, for the whole journey. I'm stamping madly on the brakes in total panic, and just managed to stop with the front end of the car poking out onto the major road.
I had a 1960 Triumph Herald and completely lost the brakes when the cotter pin holding the emergency brake cable snapped, letting the brake shoe slip off the wheel cylinder. No brakes, and of course, no emergency brake. I slowed down by double clutching down through the gears, and finally slamming it into reverse. The transmission was the ONLY good thing on that piece of crap. Even the frame broke several times. Very safe, though. If there was a forecast of rain, it wouldn’t start 😉
My Dad was a Lincoln-Mercury Dealer from 1946 until 1963 when he passed. I worked at the dealership every day after school and was allowed to use for my daily driver a used 1952 Lincoln Capri convertible. The 52's,53's and 54's won the Pan American road race. That old Lincoln could fly. On the almost empty highways of the 1950s South Texas I could fly a hundred miles in one hour and got great gas mileage at about .25 cents a gallon. The 58's and 59's and other new Lincolns of the time, were wonderful to drive. I many times was picked to deliver them to their new owners. Those big old boats were fantastic, the best automobiles for long trips in the broiling hot Texas weather.
Jay- I really enjoyed the Continental! Quick story..... My Grandparents had a 1960 Lincoln Continental Mark V. As a young boy, I loved EVERYTHING about that car! One dark night we were driving in Portola Valley, California, and we all heard and felt a slight thud. My Grandfather was a bit confused as to what the sound might have been. He pulled over, and we all got out to check the car over to see what the sound was. We found some blood on the front bumper....zero damage to the car. We walked back down the road, and there we found a very large buck, antlers and all. He looked as if a tank had hit him! Not a scratch to the car! My Grandfather traded the car in in 1969 for a 1970 Dodge Monaco. The dealership gave him $500 trade for it, and it was mint condition. I never got over losing that car, but I was only 14 and couldn't drive yet. He would have given it to me. Your video brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for sharing it with all of us!
I love these episodes that feature Jay's own collection. He always has a story that goes along with the car, how he got it, the person or family he bought it from, why he likes it so much, whats unusual about it. There is usually something unique in each acquisition. It's so much more personal than the episodes featuring other peoples cars or corporate effort to build the first or best in some class of car etc.. I know the collection isn't infinite in numbers, but its always welcome to see another one of Jay's cars featured with him talking about it.
I can relate to this. I have a 71 Buick boat tail Riviera and it is the only one regestered one in VT and it never fails to turn heads where ever I go. I get so many questions about it at shows and every where I stop, it's just halarious. This one I'd bought with 64K original miles and fron the original owner and it was totally rust free. Mouse and squirel eaten inside,,,for sure but otherwise all unmolested and a sound place to start a rather unique restoration. I love that I know the complete history of the car from day one and all the stories that go with it. Hopefully I can add some history to it as time goes on. I'm 11years in and I love driving this monster and with a 455 and a bit of modern syspension/shock/urathane bushing upgrades it performes quite well. I can relate to the 100 dollar bill to fill it though and when gas was really high filling it with high test non ethonol was $150 dollar affair but I probibly get more ,,,"smiles per mile",, than any other car I've ever owned. This is my first what I refer to as a "Land Shark" and Jay is right,,it's like driving a 300+hp soffa,,,,,,and at low 13's &112 in the quarter mile it's no slouch either. It even kinda sounds like a big old big boat,,,LOL! I Love my old Rivi,,,,,,,
My second grade teacher, Mrs. Seacrist, had a 1958 Mercury with the same rear window treatment. She loved it. I had helped her out to her car after school several times and she showed me how it opened. She liked to drive with it open as she had fresh air without messing up her hair. I haven't thought of her since forever. Thank you for bringing back great memories. Like you, I was born in 1950, in August, so I am now SEVENTY YEARS OLD. Damn, time flies. I still feel young, even with four grandkids.
Was she hot? My teacher in Miami was a chocolate goddess and to my luck I was her favorite. Damn, if you crossed her she would make you blind in a minute. Mileage on this 3 ton beast must be.. very low.
I'm 57 this past July, and I've 5 grandkids! I went to school all over Burbank California (and the valley) The only teacher I remember is my kiddnigarden teacher because is harmed me to such a extent today she would make the news for her cruelty ( she regularly drew blood in a hidden place ) So..yeah.. nevermind..heh. my dad had one of these, a four-door. We would laugh at the gas gage going down on the 405 up the mountain. It's funny, we laughed at our only new car going over the same freeway, but for another reason; we barely made it over the same mountain! It was a Opel of all things in early 70's...
Forget Jays fame , fortune, wealth , and amazing collection of mechanical art works. I just get a thrill watching him talking about each vehicle, and seeing the love and pure enjoyment he derives from showing them to those who appreciate them. Not in a boastful or egotistical way. He is purely sharing his hobby or addiction to the world. Well done my friend. From one of your Aussie admirers.😊
One thing I've noticed, is there is no jarring in the camera. it must be as smooth as a cloud. Hollywood would be proud to film in that Continental. I've also noticed that this was one of your longest drive thus far, I guess you just didn't want to stop enjoying the ride.
Exactly, if its so ugly, why get one Jay?? Sorry not a bug Leno fan.Youre correct, just gorgeous.Ive got an Bill Blass 78 mk v and an 78 mk v.diamond jubilee editon GOLD just great cars.Thank You
It's brilliant. People who drove a car like this would be so polite on the road because you can't cut in on other drivers or drive too fast around the curves. It's simply too vast. A very chilled chariot. Total Vegas. You really owned the road. Imperious. Well worth preserving. A wonderful example of hedonistic design from the fabulous fifties.
@Hugh Spencer - they were polite because the times were like that. Today, no matter the car people own, they are NOT polite at all. I love the car period 1955 to 1965.
Interestingly, this was ahead of it's time in 1958. It was much boxier than most of the cars of the 1950's. Prior to this, Lincoln and Continental were way ahead of most cars style-wise. By 1959 and 1960 though, it was out of date due to GM's full-size '59 redesigns.
I just smile most all the way through watching one of these "classic" JLG episodes. Just Jay and a car, complete with the cars' story - and as he's said often, it's the stories he's buying and keeping as much as the car itself oftentimes. Extended length episode to go with extended length car! I love it, reminds me of why I subscribed all those years ago. -Ed on the Ridge
My dad had one of these when I grew up in Copenhagen. He might as well have driven a Space Shuttle through the streets during that time of Morris Marina’s and VW Beetle’s.
Morris Minors? I had two, a 1959 Morris Minor convertible and a 1960 Mini - best handling car of its time and, tarted-up, a rally-winner for years. Now built by BMW.
The showing of the 58 Continental was such a humorous delightful experience. As mentioned by others, watching Jay by himself is actually even more enjoyable than pre covid videos. Than You! :)
Personally, I think that is one of the classiest, coolest and most iconic cars ever featured in Jay's garage, and I loved everything about this review! The color, chrome and unique style evoke such nostalgia, it's palpable. And I love the fact that it's all original and in such great shape. God bless Jay for all he does to preserve old cars and share all his knowledge with us. Thanks, Jay!!
S M just saying why would you reply to this guy’s comment and tell him that the car sucks. If you wanted to voice your opinion, you could’ve just simply commented instead of replying.
Salvador Montoro Goethe sane here, ......we had a 1959 Dodge station Wagon, Rear facing seat,etc:Loaded . Big ALSO: I just drove for one year at age 15-16: (1963) no air conditioning; mymFamuly not believe in a/c:: I bought my first new car @1970 Dodge Coronet 500 / loaded but no a/c... ..too.
Oh man I see old land yachts like this and I'm instantly transported to my childhood taking long road trips with my Mom and Dad during the spring and summer. I miss these kind of cars. There is NOTHING like them for highway travel in North America. YOu could do 6 to 8 hour trips and not feel like you'd been squeezed into a sardine can all day. 😄
We did the same thing in Finland in the 90's. Mark III Convertible or Mark IV Limo but you were never exhausted after no matter how long trip was, actually '77 Town Car Limo was probably even better in comfort as it amazes me how much more uncomfortable modern cars are. Thinking also how much damping has gone forwards from the 50's and still...
It brought back so many memories for me too. My Dad's '72 Sedan DeVille, complete with electric antenna and foot rests in the rear! What a beautiful ride!
Logan, You remind me of a friend of mine, he had a mustang, took it on a 8 hour trip, said when he got out he felt like he had been in a fight with 3 guys. Nothing like a big old land yacht to have a comfortable ride for sure.
@@Rypsolisti Cause journalists keep hammering on performance and corning and don't seem to bother to do a 3 or 4 hour road trip to rate comfort level IMO. Frankly cars with softer suspension and more plush seats need to come back as at least on option. Also sometimes I think ergos go to far as we all have differant body types and designing for the standard size means those of us that don't match that suffer. Somebody please bring proper bench seats back!😄
@@bearr8541 Ok I might not be as old as you guys who've responded to my post. 😅 My memories are of my Dad's 84 Grand Marquis, 82? Pontiac Grand Marquis, 86 Chevy cargo van with a back seat and a bed and 90s Buick wagon. Not quite as large as the continental but yeah still land yachts of my era. Then my Dad got an 89 Topaz and a Tempo (not sure of the year but both 2 doors) in there some where and we all suffered. All his boys frew to over 6ft so he might have been fine but his 3 boys were squezed in like sardines. My Dad got a Windstar sometime after that and I'd never thought i'd be so happy that my Dad got a mini van.😅
If you read Tom McCahill I think it was in Mechanics Illustrated back in the fifties, that was his style and no doubt influenced Jay . He had a great talent for really describing cars.
My father had this car in 1965. We moved to the UK that year and he shipped it to the UK. There were many roads we could not go down because the car just would not fit. Whenever my mom went into town and parked it in the town square, we would always come back to the car and find a crowd around it and lots of questions. As kids we loved the fart window LOL.
Did you ever try to spit out the fart window and hit the car behind you? A real hocker (if you had a cold) could likely hit them on the interstate...if they gave you the finger or something. These days they are armed so it would be great for armed terrorists, too. Make it bulletproof and your AR-15s just slide through the crack. 370 horses in a steel body that could stop a bullet-aka tank-would make this the choice of gang/militia leaders.
Absolutely GORGEOUS!!! This was, and still is, the largest unibody car ever built. There were vibration problems requiring hundreds of pounds of dampeners, but this was overcome for the '59-'60 models. All in all, a fantastic car, and a welcome addition to anyone's garage... if it'll fit. Thanks for sharing!
Not sure your age air but it's probably subjective. I'm a graduate of '94 and these boats were pretty.much gone. My grandfather sought one out his last few years and I remember that one. What I'm long winded getting at is, being fairly unfamiliar to me they have a charm.
I love that. I'm watching this video 4 years after he did it and yet it's the same exact time of year with the pink blossoms on the trees in the background as he drives through SoCal as I watch this in April 2024.
When I was 15 years old in 1964, my Dad's buddy had one of these. It was 'pink'. He bought it used because his wife, 'Trixie', liked the color. The interior was white leather and the car had absolutely every option on the order sheet. He use to let me sit in it while he and Dad drank beer in our kitchen. One day, he threw the keys to me and said, 'Go ahead and drive it Gerry, but only up and down the driveway as you don't have a driver's license.' I was in HEAVEN!!! As a teen, I use to dream that one day I'd take a date out in that car, perhaps to a high school prom. Never happened, but it was a beautiful dream. I'm 74 years old now, and I'd still love to take a date out in a car like that .. but this time, my dear wife. :-). Such a beautiful dream.
Ever since I saw this monster parked in front of a neighbors how in a lower middle class neighborhood when I was 12 I've love it. The one I saw might have been a 59 and it was white, it looked like a iceberg that was washed up
The nr. 1 spot on my bucketlist is literally just to be able to walk around and look at Jay's collection for a day with him listening to all the stories of how he found the cars.. he''s an absolute legend
@@retroguy9494 That's been brought up before, one thought is the collection is turned into a museum, or they could be donated to various existing museums.
@@bigredc222 I would like to see the collection turned into a museum. I don't know if Leno owns or rents the big warehouse where they are, but if he owns it, it could easily become a museum especially, being worth 300 million, he makes an endowment. That way, between admission charges and a partial endowment, it can keep the collection in tact. I'd hate to see happen what happened to Bill Harrah's collection when Holiday Inn acquired it. Less than half the cars were saved through a private foundation and private donations formed to save it. The rest went on the auction block. Leno has some very rare cars and others with a unique story. He has a Packard (I think a 1914 or 1916) which belonged to the father of a former member of Congress from my state. He was in the state legislature and came from an old patrician family. I actually met her when I was in high school. Leno even has a letter from her on Congressional stationary authenticating the car. It would be a shame to see some hack buy it.
@@retroguy9494 I forget the address but I looked at his building on google maps, it's in an industrial park next to a small airport, so there's no parking. I don't see it being the end of the world when collections go on the auction block, it gives other people the opportunity to enjoy the cars and hopefully drive them and share them with the people in their world. Jay likes to drive his cars, would he want them put in a museum never to be driven again, or only driven once in a great while? There are a lot of ways to look at it.
I’ve got the Lincoln badged version of this being delivered soon, after absolutely loving the ‘68 Continental Coupe I’ve had for nearly a year. Mines a ‘60 shape Premiere Landau in an appropriately glam glacier white with burnt gold roof and interior. Absolutely love how different it is to the ‘68, the culmination of everything great in the 50’s 😄👌 And yes, I’m driving both in England 😂
He's made plenty of lengthy vids about super cars. Not sure if you're being sarcastic. If you are? Cool. You got me. But yeah. He's got plenty of vids of super cars where he spends a good time discussing them.
I find these far more interesting than any hypercar. Not that hypercars are not amazing feats of automotive engineering but these are just more interesting for the history. And honestly I bet this car still has a better air conditioner than many brand new hypercars.
Way back in 1961, I was 6 years old and a friend of my dad had one of these. I remember siting in the back seat riding in that. It was enormous to say the least. I’ll never forget that thing.
I had a 1965 Mercury with that slanted inward rear window. That was a great invention. I wish they would have continued with this. If you had no A.C., you open the front vents and slid that rear window down, it kept the car reasonable cool even in warm temperatures. And you can keep the side windows up to keep it quiet in the car. In the winter, snow and frost never accumulated on the window so you a clear view all the time in your rear view mirror.
With all the fancy techno cars out there, they all seem to blend into each other. I never thought I'd see the day where cars like these are the standout exotics.
I always like to catch up with you Jay, first time writing. I grew up with my grandparents who were well off and my granfather loved his cars. He had a 57 blue and white convertible Ford Fairlane with a continental kit, I think it was called, granma had a56 Caddy, green. He later got a Lincoln about a 62 or 63 {suicide 4 door} georgeous, and we lived in Studio City {Sherman Oaks} in the hills, I love where you drive around in L.A. and the stories of your growing up and the details about the cars. In these crazy days it really gives me some peace of mind, thanks so much, Bill Cushman
"Good luck finding a garage that can put these two battleships in at the same time". God Jay, your slaying me...please stop it. This show is funnier than your old monologues. Keep it up Jay. Big fan.👍
my dad had one in the early 60s, parking it in garage you had to touch the front bumper.. carefully to the wall so garage door could close, we had to get towed one time.. the tow truck driver bringing it from santa barbara to Glendale had the fear of God in his face all the way home.. on the 405.. when he dropped it off, he was still shaking..
Yes, my dad had one. I didn’t see my family for three days while driving to Florida. Very massive. But very comfortable. I believe they found me in the corner of the trunk. With a crackerjack box, looking at a prize with a small Coca-Cola with peanuts ..planters peanuts stuffed down the neck. Then we watched the Daytona 500! And went back to Indiana, and I got lost again in the car..good times…no ..won’t happen again !! Five kids plus mom and dad! Just a day in the park. Good memories.
Another time another era. It’s fun to go back in time. Lincoln has struggled to redefine itself in recent years but they have a wonderful history would love to see the then capture there former glory .
@@TheGeorunner Technically, yes, but why quibble? Is the the V6 in a VW a VR6 because of the narrow angle, because technically it is half of a W12. Which leads me to Lancia, which also used a narrow angle engine. A V4, or would that be VR4? I ask, having dealt with a V4 in a Saab, which is another interesting engine. A 90 degree V4 based on the German Ford V6, which was originally designed as a V8. And talking about Saab four cylinder engines....
There was one of these parked at the "Flying A gas station" for sale when I was a kid. (1965). It had sat there so long it had a yellow jacket nest under the dash. Problem was it had an air leak and nobody wanted it. It was silver-blue and had all the options, I wanted it so badly I'd go sit in it every day after school. They did share some things with the Mercurys of the day like the drop down back window. The electric eye as we called them that dimmed the lights never worked even new. And all windows, door locks where air pressure powered if you had an air leak you were screwed. So cool to see you get this. Thanks, Jay what a treat!
I always liked the electric rear windows. There were some other Fords of that era that had them. Now you see something similar in pickups, but they slide sideways as opposed to up and down. And you find them in some McLaren convertibles too. Great for ventilation.
I really enjoyed this review - brought back old memories! I was 11 years old when the '58 Continental was introduced - loved those "canted headlights." As I recall, the Continental Convertible - (I believe the built a convertible!) had the same rear window design as the hardtops. To me, the Continental was the ultimate American luxury car in 1958. It was 3 inches longer than the '58 Buick Limited at 227 inches - (I still want a 1958 Limited Convertible and a Chrysler 300 D!), which as you said had lots of chrome and like the Continental, the Buick also drove like a big wallowing boat - you don't park it, you dock it. You did not drive these cars, you just aimed them in the general direction you wanted to go. Really enjoy your automobile and motorcycle reviews!!
Loved this car! Neighbor had one when I was growing up. Around 1960 Boy's Life Magazine had a photo essay on how they would design these cars featuring Lincoln designers making full size mockups out of clay. They had a design contest you could enter and win a trip to Dearborn to meet the designers. When you entered you got four rubber wheels to start your model plus a large poster of every Lincoln car from the beginning to 1960. I didn't make the cut. . . but I still used those angled lights in my drawings for years later.
The old land yachts from the late 1950's and 1960's are something special and this one is a beauty. It's on my bucket list to catch a ride some where, even to the burger stand in one of these old tuna boats on wheels.
Thanks for sharing Jay! An amazing car, I wonder how that 430 would do against the Imperial 392. A time of giant engines! But I think that I love the instrument cluster on this car the most!
@Rata 4U If you don't like classic old school cars then why you bother coming here? Just because you enjoy the delusion of contemporary eco-trash with questionable build quality doesn't mean you got to discourage other people from the freedom to enjoy their favorite type of cars. You stick to your rolling probable cause, and classic car fans can stick to their own taste in cars. Not everyone likes the SUVs.
@Rata 4U Are you fooling around? If not I don't think you've ever sat in a vintage car. The rear captain's chair in my friend's Escalade is one of the worst places I've ever sat.
I love to watch your videos. You can see that you are a car enthusiast not showing off your cars but someone who wants to share the vehicle plus how it drives. Thank you.
Jay, Thanks for taking me for a cruise in the Continental! That was real cool! Yes, this is a Vegas Cruiser!! A good Buddy of mine had a '78 Town Coupe, Moon Roof, all options too...One night 5 of us jumped in that "Carrier" and we went driving with sunglasses and LOUD Hawaiian shirts! We had a blast! I would do it again in this '58 in a heartbeat!!!! Great Stuff, Jay! Keep it coming!
Yeah jay so some secondblooks at the older cars to breakmthencv boredom, plus that ain't thenorig interior, it had metallic fabric that wore down and scraped your skin when iu slid in the seat
The Continental was a pioneer in safety, especially with an impending head-on collision. The driver simply needs to steer the Lincoln towards the offending vehicle, place the accelerator to the floor and effortlessly move the accident out of the way and proceed to the destination.
Jay: Thanks for preserving this “beast”. My “first” car was a 1959 Ford Ranch Wagon with “3-in-the-tree” and Overdrive, so watching this massive pile of steel move down the road brings back some real memories. I learned to drive that monster in San Francisco, and firmly believe that anyone (including my 98 lb. mom), who could drive that car, in that city, could literally drive anything with wheels! This is a great video, please keep ‘em coming!
It was such a pleasure to see Jay driving my father-in-law’s wonderful car down the road. It was a pleasure selling this gem to him. Jay is such a fine man and a true car enthusiast. My “dad” would be so happy to see his precious car being driven down the road in this video. Thank you Jay, we know you will take great
care of it.
Mark Campbell awesome
❤️
I'm glad he got it from you too, such a rare example with all of the options, and especially in that color! these are a friend on mine's favorite car, and thus, although his convertible is gone, we have a few of it's parts cars sitting behind the shop.
That car really deserves to go to someone like Jay Leno. It is such an awesome car!
There couldn't be a better person to let it live it's days with. It will be loved and taken care of.
Who else feels like they hung out with Grandpa Leno for half an hour like you might have if you were 12 years old and it was his day off....? This was fun. 👍
Nice! I actually had days like that with MY Grandpa in the 70s. He had Cadillacs and an Ambassador and whatever that amphibious car was. His Cadillacs were full of machine shop crap, like a work truck.
English is not my first language but this is how I would've described the video if I knew how :) Loved this episode, even thou it was a bit longer
Wrinkled pants and all. Lol.
I can almost smell my grandfather's pipe.
My grandpa had a great big ol' Packard. When I was little I'd stand up in the back floorboard and he'd drive down this street that had several others on the right that intersected from uphill. The car would roll like a big land yacht over those streets, and I'd scream "ocean waves!!!"
I miss Jay showing his own old cars. There is something special about Jay's eclectic collection of automotive history
These are much more interesting than MOST of the guest cars that Leno features.
Better yet he is the steward of these machines to pass on to the. Future
Definitely has a special way of telling about his own cars
Jay's correct about the glorious car colors and design styles back in the 50s. In any given era, cars reflect the mood of the country at that specific time. In the mid to late 50s, America was still elated and united from winning WWII. Everyone wanted cars that looked happy and futuristic to the point of giddiness. Fast-forward to the present - most cars on the road are dark, brooding, somber, and joyless because they're the colors of today. When was the last time car companies offered gorgeous, pastel or ice cream colors? How about 2-tone or 3-tone exteriors and/or interiors? Exactly.
I feel another factor is the car's transition from being a leisure product to an appliance. For instance: notice how many color options there are for the new iPhone. Also, notice how often you see a blue or red refrigerator now.
The 90's, the teal cars ended around 9/11
You are absolutely correct
Reading into things a bit much there. Cars have been toning down for decades. There was a lot of beige stuff for a long time, and dark green for a while. Cars lost individuality as engineering converged their designs. It has nothing to do with the "mood."
To be fair, Porsche still offers the best colors, even their "drab" colors look great, like Sepia Brown or Black Olive, but again to your "fun" colors, Viola Metallic, Ultraviolet, Ruby Star, Viola Purple Metallic (yes, two different ones, two completely different looks), Ipanema Blue Metallic, Gulf Blue, Acid Green, Peridot Metallic, Mint Green, Ivory, Cream White, Carrera White, Nordic Gold Metallic, Gulf Orange, Pastel Orange, Lava Orange, and even Chalk/Crayon.... and those are typically just 911 colors, there's other fantastic options for their other models, nobody has the "base" color options as Porsche (base meaning available, including PTS), second would probably be Lamborghini.
Honestly...I prefer Jay doing his own cars by himself.
agreed
I concur
Absolutely.
Same
Agreed
There’s just something wonderful about watching Jay drive around in an old car, arm out the window, casually chatting about a car he loves for a half hour. It really helps keep your mind off of other things, these days.
WorldsOldestMillennial absolutely, I've been rewatching a lot of his older videos as well to pass the time and take my mind off what's going on outside now, I'm in the Netherlands and it's gotten quite weird, 400€ fine if you stand too close to someone.
Jay is a great sleep aid.
@ 17:40 it shows he's on empty. Fitting for this car and 10 miles to the gallon.
@@noth606 And a 400 Euro fine for calling them he or she! BTW, how’s the weather at that altitude, Dutchman?
@@The_ZeroLine LOL, I'm not Dutch, but I do live here since a long time. I'm from Finland. The weather here is awful as always in wintertime.
Absolutely love old American ‘battleships’ like this, being a 90’s kid, these just seem so out of this world! They’re fantastic!
Battleship is the correct word for these cars
@Jim Smith No, aircraft carriers are too modern; battleship was probably the right description!
I've heard someone calling them "land yachts" :) Still, they're amazing cars and I'd like to own this type of car instead of any modern day car.
The more you look at the Continental Mark he is driving, the more you like its style. The artistic sculpture is just incredible.
I'm 35 and have always loved them! Especially the 70's cars. It really saddens me that just about the time I graduated from college and had enough money to buy a nice new car they were pretty much all gone. I had a 2005 Buick Park Avenue I bought in '08 with 16K on it that I loved that represented that last of the breed pretty well (I know it was front wheel drive and V6 powered) but it floated down the road, had a decent size, and the style hearkened back to the 50s, 60s, and 70s. I test drove a new Town Car back in 2010 but it just didn't ride as well as my Buick and was lacking a lot of options it had and just wasn't worth the $50K they were asking IMO. Now I have a brand new GMC Yukon, it's about as close as you can come in a modern vehicle. I have an '04 Century to since I love Buicks and it floats down the road almost as smoothly as my Park Avenues did. If they still made cars like this I would buy them! 8-10 mpg would be rough though!
I get why Jay is saying it's ugly but I think it's awesome! I love this old piece of Americana and I'm so glad it was saved. I can't get enough of these chrome covered 50s cars.
I agree, there is something about the angled headlights, and the styling that sets this car apart from any other. The high end of this model had Mother of Pearl inlay in the rear panel between the tail lights.
When I was in first grade our school principal had one of these. She would park it right in front of the school in a no parking zone to keep other cars away from it. A buddy and I were walking home after school and a rock was laying on the sidewalk. We started playing “kick the can” with the rock. One of my kicks was a little exuberant and the rock went right through her rear window! A teacher saw the whole incident and drug us to the principal’s office. For the next 2 years all I heard about was how expensive it was to replace a Continental rear window! Thank goodness I moved to another school when I was in third grade as I was forever etched in the principals’ mind as a troublemaker. Great episode Jay.
ProudDigital nice story
On todays episode of things that never happened...
You should have got a medal for doing that.
Whoever kick the rock should have been a place kicker in the NFL those window we're dammed near a 1/2 thick. I have a 1959 Thunderbird those are some real windows not like this mess we have today.
She didn't make your parents pay for a new window?
Jay, you have got to be the coolest, most down to earth “famous” person out there. Love the channel, man. Keep em coming!!!
Agreed
I agree 💯
Completely agree. Thank you Jay!
Typical Baby Boomer snottiness and condescension. Leno throws a lot of darts at the Greatest Generation - he ridicules their tastes in cars, their smoking, how they spent their money, etc. Well they did better than you, bub. You're a fat sloven dressed like a dustbowl Oakie, who doubtless smokes Pot and God knows what else, like everyone else in Califoreignia. And stop saying "back in the day." You talk like Old Jim in "Huck Finn."
GLC2013 must be nice to be perfect. Ever hear of “sour grapes “ ?
You can ride in this with a friend and still maintain 6ft social distancing.
Like in a Humvee - but without beeing cramped in...
congratulations you won the internet for the day with that comment
Im here relaxing with the video and u bring up trump's plague 🙃
plus fit your "friend's" dead corpse in the trunk ;)
Mike Borraccia yup 😂
It seems like no matter what car Jay is showing it becomes my new favorite. This on the other hand is one of my favorites and it pains me to hear him call it ugly. From the 'French style' headlights to the massive and 'chromy' features and especially the roll down back window, I just love this thing.
But then I am old.
Group6, This Lincoln is in my GOAT Top 10 list! My FAV car is a 1968 Shelby Mustang GT500 KR conv. There is a 1970 Dodge Challenger conv. on that list too. The 1966 Lincoln Continental conv. A 1965 Buick Riviera...
Probably one of my favorite cars now, it's beautiful and awesome.
I like it too and it's from a few car eras before my time.
Jay is a stand up guy. Literally. Still working every day, and only have one real weakness; cars. Or rather 150+ cars. And he share it with us all - for free!!! How the hell can anyone dislike that???????
A great entertainer! I'd hate to pay his car insurance, even though it's a special policy and requires limited annual mileage. Maybe not! Jay could be self-insured. He's got the bucks.
well, the Ferrari people get counseling I hear.....
Oh god I absolutely loved the thump of that engine. Oddly reminds of a Harley V twin exaust note.🍷Quite a speedy car too for a sporty two door!! 😎😆
And those diagonal dual head lights, i swear those look like they ought to be from an entire other planet probably. The headlight dimmer for real sounded like future tech for the star trek age devoloped well before its time. I cant think of another car that can do that even today.
Lol cracked me up when Jay mentioned Battle ship galore!, so whats it gonna be - One fine Continental for him and one for her with a free garage space thrown in .. like would that be all you two?
Every single one of Jay's cars has an incredible story behind it. And that is amazing.
He finds the story. This car does not have a story, 2 owners and it laid up in garage for 30 years. The only thing standing out was the FM radio.
My dad was a sales manager for a Lincoln-Mercury dealership. In 58 he was given one of these Mark's to drive at the new car showing. Every year thereafter we either had a Lincoln or a Mercury in the driveway. Great car and like you said Jay, that 430 cu in was a bulletproof engine!
I love that Jay finds and restores these. He’s keeping pieces of American history alive and well.
Or just washes and fixes a few minor gremlins and drives these memorials to their owners around, as here.
He also has shown his engineering comprehension and fixed many a problem on the road, replaying the ritual the first owners went through at the time. He knows the little parts of the big picture and the reasons for those parts. History always involves culture and commerce effected culture more than ever after FDR. It was even called "Fordism", aka the Middle Class, or employees paid enough to buy the cars they made, and become a major part of the GDP as consumers creating demand and job growth (5.2% GDP '32-'81).
Good point Fred! We were lucky to live in this 50s-60s era where cars were a TREAT to drive, and also a treat to watch somebody drive by!
@@dthomas9230 "employees paid enough to buy the cars they made". I just read that about Henry Ford a few days ago! (March 2023). Another reason for me to be a Ford fan, and to buy Fords!
I love it ..
He has so many guests and guest cars it's great to just get Jay and one of his own cars every once in a while
Measuring in at 6'5" tall, my grandfather bought a new Continental every two years from the late 50s through the early 80s. I used to sit between him and my grandmother (she brought along the tankard of hot coffee) -- with no seat-belt of course, who needs one of those anyway -- and look on in awe as he piloted those boats down the Mass Pike or up route 128 on the way to Maine. Thanks for the memories, Jay!
Did you get molested?
@@johncholmes643 That same grandmother had a saying about folks who did and said ugly things like this: "he must have a hard life." I hope things pick up for you.
128 doesn't go to Maine lol
Route 128 and 95 are the same road. So yes, from where I used to live, we took 128N to 95N to Maine.
@@bowrocker This is classic Boston conversation about 128 which is also 93 and route 3 south of Boston
I had one of these in a four-door in the early seventies. All my friends would pile in and we'd drive around San Francisco. They thought it was amazingly cool. We'd keep the windows up to keep all the smoke in.
Haha classic
It takes a lot of blunts to hotbox in a car this big! LOL
#Bongmobile
billygearhead that’s a cool story, I hope you weren’t smoking the funny stuff🤪👍
You mean...to keep the smog out ya hippie ✌.
Brake fade (28:10) - Around 1973 I was driving my little 1963 Triumph Herald from Manchester to Barrow (North of England). Around 100 miles.
And being England the rain bucketed down the whole way. Back then we learned to drive using the gears to slow down, so rarely using the brakes. I was approaching my parent's house and had to brake for a stop sign. And there were no brakes! All drum brakes and the drums were full of water. And I realized I hadn't used the brakes, AT ALL, for the whole journey.
I'm stamping madly on the brakes in total panic, and just managed to stop with the front end of the car poking out onto the major road.
I had a 1960 Triumph Herald and completely lost the brakes when the cotter pin holding the emergency brake cable snapped, letting the brake shoe slip off the wheel cylinder. No brakes, and of course, no emergency brake. I slowed down by double clutching down through the gears, and finally slamming it into reverse. The transmission was the ONLY good thing on that piece of crap. Even the frame broke several times. Very safe, though. If there was a forecast of rain, it wouldn’t start 😉
My Dad was a Lincoln-Mercury Dealer from 1946 until 1963 when he passed. I worked at the dealership every day after school and was allowed to use for my daily driver a used
1952 Lincoln Capri convertible. The 52's,53's and 54's won the Pan American road race.
That old Lincoln could fly. On the almost empty highways of the 1950s South Texas I could fly a hundred miles in one hour and got great gas mileage at about .25 cents a gallon.
The 58's and 59's and other new Lincolns of the time, were wonderful to drive. I many times was picked to deliver them to their new owners. Those big old boats were fantastic, the best automobiles for long trips in the broiling hot Texas weather.
"It makes me smile. It's fun to drive." And that's what it's all about at the end of the day!
Jay- I really enjoyed the Continental! Quick story..... My Grandparents had a 1960 Lincoln Continental Mark V. As a young boy, I loved EVERYTHING about that car! One dark night we were driving in Portola Valley, California, and we all heard and felt a slight thud. My Grandfather was a bit confused as to what the sound might have been. He pulled over, and we all got out to check the car over to see what the sound was. We found some blood on the front bumper....zero damage to the car. We walked back down the road, and there we found a very large buck, antlers and all. He looked as if a tank had hit him! Not a scratch to the car! My Grandfather traded the car in in 1969 for a 1970 Dodge Monaco. The dealership gave him $500 trade for it, and it was mint condition. I never got over losing that car, but I was only 14 and couldn't drive yet. He would have given it to me. Your video brought tears to my eyes. Thanks for sharing it with all of us!
Cool!
The backseat couch is everything! Art-deco-ish and beautiful.
Nothing like a herd of cows stretched across the back.
I love these episodes that feature Jay's own collection. He always has a story that goes along with the car, how he got it, the person or family he bought it from, why he likes it so much, whats unusual about it. There is usually something unique in each acquisition. It's so much more personal than the episodes featuring other peoples cars or corporate effort to build the first or best in some class of car etc.. I know the collection isn't infinite in numbers, but its always welcome to see another one of Jay's cars featured with him talking about it.
I want more of the weird one-off stuff like the landyacht
Marcus, I certainly agree with you (and love the humor he adds to his descriptions, of course)
I can relate to this. I have a 71 Buick boat tail Riviera and it is the only one regestered one in VT and it never fails to turn heads where ever I go. I get so many questions about it at shows and every where I stop, it's just halarious.
This one I'd bought with 64K original miles and fron the original owner and it was totally rust free. Mouse and squirel eaten inside,,,for sure but otherwise all unmolested and a sound place to start a rather unique restoration. I love that I know the complete history of the car from day one and all the stories that go with it. Hopefully I can add some history to it as time goes on.
I'm 11years in and I love driving this monster and with a 455 and a bit of modern syspension/shock/urathane bushing upgrades it performes quite well. I can relate to the 100 dollar bill to fill it though and when gas was really high filling it with high test non ethonol was $150 dollar affair but I probibly get more ,,,"smiles per mile",, than any other car I've ever owned.
This is my first what I refer to as a "Land Shark" and Jay is right,,it's like driving a 300+hp soffa,,,,,,and at low 13's &112 in the quarter mile it's no slouch either. It even kinda sounds like a big old big boat,,,LOL!
I Love my old Rivi,,,,,,,
Forget those super cars, Jay. You're in your element here.
My second grade teacher, Mrs. Seacrist, had a 1958 Mercury with the same rear window treatment. She loved it. I had helped her out to her car after school several times and she showed me how it opened. She liked to drive with it open as she had fresh air without messing up her hair. I haven't thought of her since forever. Thank you for bringing back great memories. Like you, I was born in 1950, in August, so I am now SEVENTY YEARS OLD. Damn, time flies. I still feel young, even with four grandkids.
Was she hot? My teacher in Miami was a chocolate goddess and to my luck I was her favorite. Damn, if you crossed her she would make you blind in a minute. Mileage on this 3 ton beast must be.. very low.
I'm 57 this past July, and I've 5 grandkids! I went to school all over Burbank California (and the valley)
The only teacher I remember is my kiddnigarden teacher because is harmed me to such a extent today she would make the news for her cruelty ( she regularly drew blood in a hidden place ) So..yeah.. nevermind..heh. my dad had one of these, a four-door. We would laugh at the gas gage going down on the 405 up the mountain.
It's funny, we laughed at our only new car going over the same freeway, but for another reason; we barely made it over the same mountain! It was a Opel of all things in early 70's...
Forget Jays fame , fortune, wealth , and amazing collection of mechanical art works.
I just get a thrill watching him talking about each vehicle, and seeing the love and pure enjoyment he derives from showing them to those who appreciate them.
Not in a boastful or egotistical way.
He is purely sharing his hobby or addiction to the world.
Well done my friend. From one of your Aussie admirers.😊
Please do more of your own cars. So much more interesting when Jay is interested and knows all about the car
One thing I've noticed, is there is no jarring in the camera. it must be as smooth as a cloud. Hollywood would be proud to film in that Continental. I've also noticed that this was one of your longest drive thus far, I guess you just didn't want to stop enjoying the ride.
that's one thing I love about my 77 Chevelle.... even with the HD suspension, it still rides better than my 2004 Buick Rendezvous.
Hollywood did film one of these Continentals. It was driven by Eva Marie Saint in the spy thriller "North by Northwest".
@@stephenarling1667 These were very popular in movies and television - usually as gangster-rides!
you can see in a few shots how a wheel jerks violently on a pothole, but the body just remains completely steady
Him and sleepy Joe, riding off into the sunset
Parallel Parking this requires a (oceangoing) tugboat, a crew of longshoreman, a drag anchor and 3" lines...
After parrellel parking a Cadillac hearse, this car is nothing.
I was thinking 5" lines like a carrier needs...
I love Jay Leno's humour . You can't help but like the guy. Must be a blast if one is ever lucky enough to have have a decent beer with the guy.
have have? How many times I gotta tell yah? Don't repeat yerself...Don't repeat yerself...Don't repeat yerself... 😁
Jay doesn't drink.
Are you kidding, Jay? This beast is one of the most beautiful things ever built! ❤️❤️❤️
Exactly, if its so ugly, why get one Jay?? Sorry not a bug Leno fan.Youre correct, just gorgeous.Ive got an Bill Blass 78 mk v and an 78 mk v.diamond jubilee editon GOLD just great cars.Thank You
I love how Jay started by saying that it was so ugly he had to buy it.
It's brilliant. People who drove a car like this would be so polite on the road because you can't cut in on other drivers or drive too fast around the curves. It's simply too vast. A very chilled chariot. Total Vegas. You really owned the road. Imperious. Well worth preserving. A wonderful example of hedonistic design from the fabulous fifties.
you're right no need for speed , you own wherever you are.
@Hugh Spencer - they were polite because the times were like that. Today, no matter the car people own, they are NOT polite at all.
I love the car period 1955 to 1965.
This car is so 50s that even the headlights look like cateye sunglasses from that era
Interestingly, this was ahead of it's time in 1958. It was much boxier than most of the cars of the 1950's. Prior to this, Lincoln and Continental were way ahead of most cars style-wise. By 1959 and 1960 though, it was out of date due to GM's full-size '59 redesigns.
lol
Your enthusiasm and humour are infectious
I just smile most all the way through watching one of these "classic" JLG episodes.
Just Jay and a car, complete with the cars' story - and as he's said often, it's the stories
he's buying and keeping as much as the car itself oftentimes.
Extended length episode to go with extended length car!
I love it, reminds me of why I subscribed all those years ago.
-Ed on the Ridge
"Honey! How are we going to go to the store!?...we have to be at least 4-6 feet apart!"
" Oh, don't worry! We'll take the Mark III."
At least there's room on the roads right now for this beast!
ahah
My dad had one of these when I grew up in Copenhagen. He might as well have driven a Space Shuttle through the streets during that time of Morris Marina’s and VW Beetle’s.
That's insane but cool!
hahahha!
Morris Minors? I had two, a 1959 Morris Minor convertible and a 1960 Mini - best handling car of its time and, tarted-up, a rally-winner for years. Now built by BMW.
The beetle was a much better vehicle.
@@mrfudd13 On small european roads, i would agree.
The showing of the 58 Continental was such a humorous delightful experience. As mentioned by others, watching Jay by himself is actually even more enjoyable than pre covid videos. Than You! :)
back to classic cars, my favorite subject
Agreed. As cool as the latest and greatest supercars are, this is really what I look forward to every Sunday night.
When he's by himself, it seems like he's talking to you & you alone. Love to meet the guy!
I did. He is really a great guy.
Hes always passing by my neighborhood see an nice old car, you know its Leno, honk at him and he waives his hand up. Good guy
This is great, just Jay talking about a cool, rare, old car.
One of my dream cars! I love it. I had a 1958 Crown Imperial, and boy did it drive like a dream. I miss it.
Personally, I think that is one of the classiest, coolest and most iconic cars ever featured in Jay's garage, and I loved everything about this review! The color, chrome and unique style evoke such nostalgia, it's palpable. And I love the fact that it's all original and in such great shape. God bless Jay for all he does to preserve old cars and share all his knowledge with us. Thanks, Jay!!
it sucks
S M then why click on the video, troll?
@@Nebulasecura why do you call me a "troll?" that's not nice. I think the car sucks. why is that troll-like?
S M just saying why would you reply to this guy’s comment and tell him that the car sucks. If you wanted to voice your opinion, you could’ve just simply commented instead of replying.
@@Nebulasecura I doubt the gentleman who left his comment cares less if I think this car sucks. I disagreed with him. enough said.
Thank you Jay. 30 minutes with a wide smile on my face. Made me forget everything for a while
Salvador Montoro Goethe sane here, ......we had a 1959 Dodge station Wagon, Rear facing seat,etc:Loaded . Big ALSO: I just drove for one year at age 15-16: (1963) no air conditioning; mymFamuly not believe in a/c:: I bought my first new car @1970 Dodge Coronet 500 / loaded but no a/c... ..too.
Oh man I see old land yachts like this and I'm instantly transported to my childhood taking long road trips with my Mom and Dad during the spring and summer. I miss these kind of cars. There is NOTHING like them for highway travel in North America. YOu could do 6 to 8 hour trips and not feel like you'd been squeezed into a sardine can all day. 😄
We did the same thing in Finland in the 90's. Mark III Convertible or Mark IV Limo but you were never exhausted after no matter how long trip was, actually '77 Town Car Limo was probably even better in comfort as it amazes me how much more uncomfortable modern cars are. Thinking also how much damping has gone forwards from the 50's and still...
It brought back so many memories for me too. My Dad's '72 Sedan DeVille, complete with electric antenna and foot rests in the rear! What a beautiful ride!
Logan,
You remind me of a friend of mine, he had a mustang, took it on a 8 hour trip, said when he got out he felt like he had been in a fight with 3 guys.
Nothing like a big old land yacht to have a comfortable ride for sure.
@@Rypsolisti Cause journalists keep hammering on performance and corning and don't seem to bother to do a 3 or 4 hour road trip to rate comfort level IMO. Frankly cars with softer suspension and more plush seats need to come back as at least on option. Also sometimes I think ergos go to far as we all have differant body types and designing for the standard size means those of us that don't match that suffer. Somebody please bring proper bench seats back!😄
@@bearr8541 Ok I might not be as old as you guys who've responded to my post. 😅 My memories are of my Dad's 84 Grand Marquis, 82? Pontiac Grand Marquis, 86 Chevy cargo van with a back seat and a bed and 90s Buick wagon. Not quite as large as the continental but yeah still land yachts of my era. Then my Dad got an 89 Topaz and a Tempo (not sure of the year but both 2 doors) in there some where and we all suffered. All his boys frew to over 6ft so he might have been fine but his 3 boys were squezed in like sardines. My Dad got a Windstar sometime after that and I'd never thought i'd be so happy that my Dad got a mini van.😅
Great video, Jay! "Do I wanna feed my family for a week, or get a tank of gas?" Love it. Thanks, Jay! Beautiful car.
"It handles like bowling ball on a water bed." Jay has more one liners than Rodney Dangerfield lol
Sounds like something Jeremy Clarkson would say
“They were putting chrome on with a trowel “
No offense, but Rodney didn’t do one-liners. Check him out on RUclips. His jokes were short, but not one-liners.
If you read Tom McCahill I think it was in Mechanics Illustrated back in the fifties, that was his style and no doubt influenced Jay . He had a great talent for really describing cars.
@@emmgeevideo sure enough, searching "Rodney Dangerfield one-liners" offers zero one-liners, zero.
My father had this car in 1965. We moved to the UK that year and he shipped it to the UK. There were many roads we could not go down because the car just would not fit. Whenever my mom went into town and parked it in the town square, we would always come back to the car and find a crowd around it and lots of questions. As kids we loved the fart window LOL.
Did you ever try to spit out the fart window and hit the car behind you? A real hocker (if you had a cold) could likely hit them on the interstate...if they gave you the finger or something. These days they are armed so it would be great for armed terrorists, too. Make it bulletproof and your AR-15s just slide through the crack. 370 horses in a steel body that could stop a bullet-aka tank-would make this the choice of gang/militia leaders.
Why did you move there?
@@simplesimon8255 Father was in USAF and was transferred to High Wycombe for 3 years.
@@PanDownTiltLeft must've sucked over there, huh?
Fart window… 🤣
Absolutely GORGEOUS!!! This was, and still is, the largest unibody car ever built. There were vibration problems requiring hundreds of pounds of dampeners, but this was overcome for the '59-'60 models. All in all, a fantastic car, and a welcome addition to anyone's garage... if it'll fit.
Thanks for sharing!
Pete Kessler - You must be joking. It’s a badly designed, ugly, overweight piece of junk.
Not sure your age air but it's probably subjective. I'm a graduate of '94 and these boats were pretty.much gone. My grandfather sought one out his last few years and I remember that one. What I'm long winded getting at is, being fairly unfamiliar to me they have a charm.
MrDino1953 stfu zoomer!
@@MrDino1953 ...in your opinion. You forgot to add that.
I love that. I'm watching this video 4 years after he did it and yet it's the same exact time of year with the pink blossoms on the trees in the background as he drives through SoCal as I watch this in April 2024.
It’s so ugly, it endearing:)
So thankful Jay has continued to post these during these “dark” times.
A grateful diversion!
Aweee, one of the most beautiful cars ever made. What a classic beauty, better looking than most cars made today.
I heard there are people who find cellulite sexy.
@@mojoblues66 it is hot
The mark of a true gentleman: sharing his collection with others. Thank you thank you. Lots of fun.
Will your car end up in LENO'S. GARAGE. ???? WHO KNOWS !!!!.
When I was 15 years old in 1964, my Dad's buddy had one of these. It was 'pink'. He bought it used because his wife, 'Trixie', liked the color. The interior was white leather and the car had absolutely every option on the order sheet. He use to let me sit in it while he and Dad drank beer in our kitchen. One day, he threw the keys to me and said, 'Go ahead and drive it Gerry, but only up and down the driveway as you don't have a driver's license.' I was in HEAVEN!!! As a teen, I use to dream that one day I'd take a date out in that car, perhaps to a high school prom. Never happened, but it was a beautiful dream. I'm 74 years old now, and I'd still love to take a date out in a car like that .. but this time, my dear wife. :-). Such a beautiful dream.
I think the color was called Salmon. My parents had a 57 Fairlane that was Salmon and white.
I enjoy Jay's narration as much as I enjoy the cars he features.
Jay knows automotive history like a computer.
Ever since I saw this monster parked in front of a neighbors how in a lower middle class neighborhood when I was 12 I've love it. The one I saw might have been a 59 and it was white, it looked like a iceberg that was washed up
wow it must have been so out of place haha
The nr. 1 spot on my bucketlist is literally just to be able to walk around and look at Jay's collection for a day with him listening to all the stories of how he found the cars.. he''s an absolute legend
I wouldn't mind that myself! I wonder who he is going to leave his collection to as he has no children?
take more than one day
@@retroguy9494 That's been brought up before, one thought is the collection is turned into a museum, or they could be donated to various existing museums.
@@bigredc222 I would like to see the collection turned into a museum. I don't know if Leno owns or rents the big warehouse where they are, but if he owns it, it could easily become a museum especially, being worth 300 million, he makes an endowment. That way, between admission charges and a partial endowment, it can keep the collection in tact.
I'd hate to see happen what happened to Bill Harrah's collection when Holiday Inn acquired it. Less than half the cars were saved through a private foundation and private donations formed to save it. The rest went on the auction block. Leno has some very rare cars and others with a unique story. He has a Packard (I think a 1914 or 1916) which belonged to the father of a former member of Congress from my state. He was in the state legislature and came from an old patrician family. I actually met her when I was in high school. Leno even has a letter from her on Congressional stationary authenticating the car. It would be a shame to see some hack buy it.
@@retroguy9494 I forget the address but I looked at his building on google maps, it's in an industrial park next to a small airport, so there's no parking.
I don't see it being the end of the world when collections go on the auction block, it gives other people the opportunity to enjoy the cars and hopefully drive them and share them with the people in their world. Jay likes to drive his cars, would he want them put in a museum never to be driven again, or only driven once in a great while? There are a lot of ways to look at it.
I’ve got the Lincoln badged version of this being delivered soon, after absolutely loving the ‘68 Continental Coupe I’ve had for nearly a year. Mines a ‘60 shape Premiere Landau in an appropriately glam glacier white with burnt gold roof and interior. Absolutely love how different it is to the ‘68, the culmination of everything great in the 50’s 😄👌
And yes, I’m driving both in England 😂
I could listen to Jay waffling on like this for hours.
Your comment made me laugh. Almost as if he's just thinking out loud. Every consecutive sentence is on a different topic. LOL
Agreed! :)
Dear A.D.
👍👌👏 Me too, definitely!
Best regards, luck and health.
Jay will make a 3 minute video about a HyperCar, and then spend a half hour on a 50s boat. Gotta love ya jay
He's made plenty of lengthy vids about super cars. Not sure if you're being sarcastic. If you are? Cool. You got me. But yeah. He's got plenty of vids of super cars where he spends a good time discussing them.
And I’ll take it that way anyway I’ve watched this episode 30 times
I find these far more interesting than any hypercar. Not that hypercars are not amazing feats of automotive engineering but these are just more interesting for the history. And honestly I bet this car still has a better air conditioner than many brand new hypercars.
hahahahahah
@@adrianmarquez8345 **kip kip hipp jo
Way back in 1961, I was 6 years old and a friend of my dad had one of these. I remember siting in the back seat riding in that. It was enormous to say the least. I’ll never forget that thing.
I had a 1965 Mercury with that slanted inward rear window. That was a great invention. I wish they would have continued with this. If you had no A.C., you open the front vents and slid that rear window down, it kept the car reasonable cool even in warm temperatures. And you can keep the side windows up to keep it quiet in the car.
In the winter, snow and frost never accumulated on the window so you a clear view all the time in your rear view mirror.
With all the fancy techno cars out there, they all seem to blend into each other. I never thought I'd see the day where cars like these are the standout exotics.
back then these boats were only good in a straight line!
He talks like we're really there with him, it's great.
Yes, a very personal narration.
"It's like a big ugly dog, but it's friendly, it's fun" :D I think it's a super classic beaut.
I always like to catch up with you Jay, first time writing. I grew up with my grandparents who were well off and my granfather loved his cars. He had a 57 blue and white convertible Ford Fairlane with a continental kit, I think it was called, granma had a56 Caddy, green. He later got a Lincoln about a 62 or 63 {suicide 4 door} georgeous, and we lived in Studio City {Sherman Oaks} in the hills, I love where you drive around in L.A. and the stories of your growing up and the details about the cars. In these crazy days it really gives me some peace of mind, thanks so much, Bill Cushman
I can see a Pilot and his crew of stewardesses getting out of this car.
After the nonstop flight from Paris. Headed to the whiskey a go go.
Now I gotta watch Catch Me If You Can to see what kind of car Leo and his entourage got out of in that airport scene
Ooooh yeah.
Pan Am of course.
CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!!!
I don't think this car is ugly, I would love to drive this. It's gorgeous
We've seen your photo. Your position is understandable. Haaaaaaaaa!
@@herrunsinn774 hahahaha wtf man
100% in agreement
"Good luck finding a garage that can put these two battleships in at the same time". God Jay, your slaying me...please stop it. This show is funnier than your old monologues.
Keep it up Jay. Big fan.👍
my dad had one in the early 60s, parking it in garage you had to touch the front bumper.. carefully to the wall so garage door could close, we had to get towed one time.. the tow truck driver bringing it from santa barbara to Glendale had the fear of God in his face all the way home.. on the 405.. when he dropped it off, he was still shaking..
@@tidalserge4849 😆
@@tidalserge4849 Did he use a flatbed tow truck? Because this is the only way I could see it getting towed, and not by a light-duty truck either.
> 10:15
My Dad once told me he knew his garage was "big enough" because a '57 Cadillac would fit in it. Thanks, Jay, for bringing that memory back!
Yes, my dad had one. I didn’t see my family for three days while driving to Florida. Very massive. But very comfortable. I believe they found me in the corner of the trunk. With a crackerjack box, looking at a prize with a small Coca-Cola with peanuts ..planters peanuts stuffed down the neck. Then we watched the Daytona 500! And went back to Indiana, and I got lost again in the car..good times…no ..won’t happen again !! Five kids plus mom and dad! Just a day in the park. Good memories.
Other than for obvious safety reasons, Jay, be sure to shut the engine off while filling the tank. Otherwise, the gas pump could never keep up. ;-)
Haha - what an image!
Oh dear
Its not miles per Gallon - its gallons per mile.
My wife calls me crazy but land yachts like this are my favorite cars. I would take this Continental over almost any other car ever built.
Me too. I take the 88 Mustang GT over any other sports car when racing.
impossible to find a parking space for them if you're in NYC
@@mesofius or japan
I checked the specs. This thing is 5" longer than a '76 Eldorado!
@@mesofius Meh, you just bounce the other "cars" outta the way...😄
I thought I was going to hate this, but it's just about the best and funniest and most informative he's done.
Between the creaking hood hinges and ash trays, he had me laughing! This is my favorite car yet! Thanks for the laughs Jay!
Welp, Jay made his living making people LAFF! Myself....I'll keep my regular job!
Mercedes 600 grosser: "I'm the largest, most powerful car in the world". Continental mk III: "That's adorable"!
Pretty sure the "Big" would win the Horn War, though.
@@danielseelye6005 you are correct, sir!
I still would pick the stately, masculine Grosser over this.
@@keon5779 The only reason not to pick the grosser would be the maintenance price I guess
@@babybenz.190 Maintenance prices aren't an issue in my fantasy where I am given the choice between these two cars.
Another time another era. It’s fun to go back in time. Lincoln has struggled to redefine itself in recent years but they have a wonderful history would love to see the then capture there former glory .
I think the VW he was talking about was the Phaeton.
Yes that was the car.
Yes, correct. Also a W12, not a V12...
@@TheGeorunner Technically, yes, but why quibble? Is the the V6 in a VW a VR6 because of the narrow angle, because technically it is half of a W12. Which leads me to Lancia, which also used a narrow angle engine. A V4, or would that be VR4? I ask, having dealt with a V4 in a Saab, which is another interesting engine. A 90 degree V4 based on the German Ford V6, which was originally designed as a V8. And talking about Saab four cylinder engines....
yep
I've watched a bunch of these and Jay's comments and jokes on this one are some of the best of the series.
These are the kind of episodes that made me sign up for this channel. More like these and how about another restauration blog?
There was one of these parked at the "Flying A gas station" for sale when I was a kid. (1965). It had sat there so long it had a yellow jacket nest under the dash. Problem was it had an air leak and nobody wanted it. It was silver-blue and had all the options, I wanted it so badly I'd go sit in it every day after school.
They did share some things with the Mercurys of the day like the drop down back window.
The electric eye as we called them that dimmed the lights never worked even new. And all windows, door locks where air pressure powered if you had an air leak you were screwed. So cool to see you get this. Thanks, Jay what a treat!
My father had a lavender '58 convertible during the early/mid 1960's. He never stopped talking about it.
I always liked the electric rear windows. There were some other Fords of that era that had them. Now you see something similar in pickups, but they slide sideways as opposed to up and down. And you find them in some McLaren convertibles too. Great for ventilation.
I really enjoyed this review - brought back old memories! I was 11 years old when the '58 Continental was introduced - loved those "canted headlights." As I recall, the Continental Convertible - (I believe the built a convertible!) had the same rear window design as the hardtops. To me, the Continental was the ultimate American luxury car in 1958. It was 3 inches longer than the '58 Buick Limited at 227 inches - (I still want a 1958 Limited Convertible and a Chrysler 300 D!), which as you said had lots of chrome and like the Continental, the Buick also drove like a big wallowing boat - you don't park it, you dock it. You did not drive these cars, you just aimed them in the general direction you wanted to go. Really enjoy your automobile and motorcycle reviews!!
Nice story Mr. Melton. I like how you are still up to date with the modern ways of communication and media.
Nice chill episode, no awkward guest, just tellin us about this weird Continental. Perfect episode.
The back end (including the rear window) reminds me of a '63 Mercury Monterey.
Trickle-down styling at Ford.
Loved this car! Neighbor had one when I was growing up.
Around 1960 Boy's Life Magazine had a photo essay on how they would design these cars featuring Lincoln designers making full size mockups out of clay. They had a design contest you could enter and win a trip to Dearborn to meet the designers. When you entered you got four rubber wheels to start your model plus a large poster of every Lincoln car from the beginning to 1960.
I didn't make the cut. . . but I still used those angled lights in my drawings for years later.
I love this thing. Such a icon of the times. I don’t consider it ugly at all, just lavish .
That BULGEmobile looks like an ALIEN out of a 1958 sci-fi movie! Yup, I LOVE it too!
Same here. I think it's quite beautiful.
The old land yachts from the late 1950's and 1960's are something special and this one is a beauty. It's on my bucket list to catch a ride some where, even to the burger stand in one of these old tuna boats on wheels.
Jeffrey Dooley "the burger stand"
Is that right next to the malt shop?
About 15 or so years ago, a friend was driving a '68 Buick Electra convertible in a parade, and asked me to ride along....it was nice!
I really enjoyed the extended drive in this video. You can tell when Jay is having fun with the car.
Thanks for sharing Jay! An amazing car, I wonder how that 430 would do against the Imperial 392. A time of giant engines! But I think that I love the instrument cluster on this car the most!
In stock form it would be an interesting battle!
@@bannedbycommieyoutube5time920 I gave U a thumbs up just for yer USERNAME!
I love the large old school cars. Room for days and the comfortable bench seat. True luxury in my opinion.
@Rata 4U If you don't like classic old school cars then why you bother coming here? Just because you enjoy the delusion of contemporary eco-trash with questionable build quality doesn't mean you got to discourage other people from the freedom to enjoy their favorite type of cars. You stick to your rolling probable cause, and classic car fans can stick to their own taste in cars. Not everyone likes the SUVs.
Like driving your living room couch!
@@nexusnsgaming3364 pot calling the kettle black🤣
@Rata 4U Are you fooling around? If not I don't think you've ever sat in a vintage car. The rear captain's chair in my friend's Escalade is one of the worst places I've ever sat.
This brought back lots of memories and made me smile. No one does car vids as well as Jay. Not even close.
I love these quarantine episodes. Jay had me laughing nonstop. Starting with the Mastodon comment.
I love to watch your videos. You can see that you are a car enthusiast not showing off your cars but someone who wants to share the vehicle plus how it drives. Thank you.
Jay, Thanks for taking me for a cruise in the Continental! That was real cool!
Yes, this is a Vegas Cruiser!!
A good Buddy of mine had a '78 Town Coupe, Moon Roof, all options too...One night 5 of us jumped in that "Carrier" and we went driving with sunglasses and LOUD Hawaiian shirts! We had a blast! I would do it again in this '58 in a heartbeat!!!!
Great Stuff, Jay! Keep it coming!
Jay’s been rummaging through his other building for show ideas. It will be an interesting few months at Jay Leno’s Garage!
Yeah jay so some secondblooks at the older cars to breakmthencv boredom, plus that ain't thenorig interior, it had metallic fabric that wore down and scraped your skin when iu slid in the seat
The Continental was a pioneer in safety, especially with an impending head-on collision. The driver simply needs to steer the Lincoln towards the offending vehicle, place the accelerator to the floor and effortlessly move the accident out of the way and proceed to the destination.
Jay:
Thanks for preserving this “beast”. My “first” car was a 1959 Ford Ranch Wagon with “3-in-the-tree” and Overdrive, so watching this massive pile of steel move down the road brings back some real memories. I learned to drive that monster in San Francisco, and firmly believe that anyone (including my 98 lb. mom), who could drive that car, in that city, could literally drive anything with wheels!
This is a great video, please keep ‘em coming!